Compare And Contrast A Patriot's History And Chapter 10 Of The American People

There are two sides to every story. This is especially true when it comes to the history of the world. The two textbooks that we read for this class, A Patriot’s History of the United States and The American People, are great examples of this idea not because they cannot agree on the events of American history, but because they have different viewpoints on the significance of events, and the impact of some controversial topics. This essay will discuss the similar and different perspectives of the two textbooks mentioned above, while talking specifically about Chapter 6 of A Patriot’s History and Chapter 10 of The American People. More specifically, this essay will cover the books contrasting interpretations of societal, political, and religious

As we have talked about at length during lecture, the nineteenth century, prior to the start of the Civil War was a time of constant change, in a variety of aspects of American life. One of the earliest and longest lasting reform efforts in nineteenth century America was The Second Great Awakening. Both textbooks agree that it resulted in such things as a renewal of religious sentiment and the arrival and new popularity of multiple branches of Christianity. However, the difference comes in the coverage of the topic, and the authors opinions of why it started. The authors of A Patriot’s History argue that “the emergent Industrial Revolution caused huge changes in the lives of Americans, an upheaval that, in part, explains the urgency with which they sought spiritual sustenance” (Schweikart and Allen, 233). While Schweikart and Allen believe that the Industrial Revolution caused the Second Great Awakening due to new individualistic and work-focused ideas that were pushed during this time, Nash gives no

Nash never mentions the Industrial Revolution, nor does he give any reason for why it started, choosing to focus instead on where the ideas of the movement had the most impact, in areas such as Western New York. Another difference that arose out of The Second Great Awakening was the debate regarding what the message of the revival was. A Patriot’s History discusses how the movement was centered on the idea of “perfectionism” (Schweikart, 233-235). According to Schweikart and Allen, “the Second Great Awakening was thus a radical extension of the religious enthusiasm of the Puritan migration and the First Great Awakening” (Schweikart, 235). In contrast, Nash disagrees with this sentiment, instead arguing that “revivalist preachers de-emphasized doctrine in favor of emotion, softening strict tenets such as predestination and original sin” (Nash, 255). The most interesting aspect of compare and contrast within the assigned chapters of the two textbooks, was their polar opposite view and interpretation of Andrew Jackson as a leader, in the military and in government, as well as an individual. From the very beginning of the section regarding Andrew